Believe it or not, Sunday is game day for the Seattle Kraken… or at least for some semblance of the Kraken made up of players within the organization. And while their lineup Sunday against the “Vancouver Canucks” will look nothing like what we’ll see on Opening Night, icing a team in true game competition marks the next step in the long-awaited return to hockey after an offseason that felt like an eternity.

Earlier this week, I wrote about five storylines to watch at training camp. Already, we’ve seen movement and developments on some of them. So here’s an update on where things stand, plus a few new tidbits from the opening days of camp.

Let’s go!

Storyline updates

Berkly Catton’s NHL readiness

I’m not ready to proclaim that Berkly Catton is a full-time NHLer just yet, but he hasn’t done anything to suggest otherwise. After dominating rookie camp, he’s fit seamlessly on a line with veterans Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann.

One of my favorite camp moments so far came from that trio on Saturday. In a 3-on-2 rush drill, Catton swung wide to the left, hit another gear, and blew past defenders through the circle (I can’t recall exactly who they went against). He then zipped a cross-crease pass right onto Eberle’s tape, and Eberle one-timed it on net. Victor Ostman made a highlight-reel save on the initial shot, but the rebound popped out to McCann, who buried it into an open net. If that exact sequence were to play out in a game, it’s a goal 95 percent of the time.

“I think [the main training camp is] definitely heavier bodies in the corner [than in rookie camp],” Catton said Friday. “And the little details matter a lot more, but still, it’s just hockey. And it helps when I’m on a line with two really good players. They always make plays and stuff, and [they’re] even communicating with me where to be. So honestly, it’s been great playing with them. They’ve showed me a lot, even in two days.

“Obviously it’s pretty cool, playing on a line with Jordan Eberle and McCann, so just cherishing that. But I think they’re really smart hockey players, and I think I have the ability to make plays too. I think we have, honestly, even in two days, a little bit of chemistry, so it’s been fun.”

CHEMISTRY?! CATTON HAS CHEMISTRY WITH MCCANN AND EBERLE?!

McCann returned the praise Saturday, saying he and Eberle have been joking about “keeping up” with the 19-year-old.

“He’s just so skilled,” McCann said. “He controls the puck so well. I know he’s not a big guy, but he can fight you off in the corner.”

Last preseason, Catton showed flashes, but he mostly looked overmatched as an 18-year-old playing against pros. I can’t wait to see how he looks in actual game action this time around.

Early signs of line combinations

In my “Training camp storylines” article, I noted it would be worth tracking potential line combinations for hints at how new head coach Lane Lambert might be stacking his players. From what I’ve seen, there are currently five forward lines worth of roster hopefuls:

Mason Marchment // Chandler Stephenson // Eeli Tolvanen
Jared McCann // Berkly Catton // Jordan Eberle
Jani Nyman // Matty Beniers // Kaapo Kakko
Jaden Schwartz // Shane Wright // Jagger Firkus
Tye Kartye // Freddie Gaudreau // Jacob Melanson

There’s still a lot of time for changes, but if the season started today, I think the Kraken would be picking 13 or 14 forwards from this group of 15.

We expected Catton, Jani Nyman, and Jacob Melanson to be in the roster conversation. What stands out, though, is seeing Jagger Firkus alongside Jaden Schwartz and Shane Wright. Firkus also played on the top line in last Saturday’s prospect showcase game in Everett with Catton and Nyman. I still think he needs more AHL seasoning, but his spot in this role shows how much the organization values him as a near-future NHLer.

Could Matt Murray play a role?

Perhaps the most intriguing roster battle is in net, where the Kraken now employ three goaltenders with extensive NHL experience. Joey Daccord remains the clear No. 1, but the under-the-radar offseason signing of Matt Murray adds intrigue to the competition with Philipp Grubauer.

But wait… is there really only one backup spot available?

I asked general manager Jason Botterill how the club plans to handle the situation. Here’s what he said:

“We’ll continue to evaluate the situation. We have ideas on comparing three goalies. We also have ideas if there’s injury that we have to make an adjustment from that standpoint, but we’re ready, whatever materializes over the next couple of weeks.

“I think there’s competition [between Grubauer and Murray], for sure, and I think there’s different scenarios where we’ve looked at being able to carry three goalies… With how condensed some of the games are [because of the Olympic break], I think you’re going to need three goalies throughout the season.”

The plot thickens!

Health updates

One (hopefully minor) concern popped up when the Kraken announced Brandon Montour would miss two weeks after having a bursa removed from his ankle. Montour had been skating in captain’s practices, so the timing is a little odd. Still, this procedure shouldn’t keep him out of regular-season action or set him back too far.

“He’s coming in in great shape,” Botterill said, adding that Montour should be ready for Opening Night. “It’s disappointing he can’t be out there right away, because he is a driver of our intensity and our pace of practices. But we tried to get this procedure done now so he doesn’t have to deal with it during the season, and our whole mindset is he’ll be ready to go for Game 1.”

Montour has been around Kraken Community Iceplex on crutches, chatting and laughing it up with team staff.

I also asked McCann how he was feeling after the surgery he had planned following last season.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time right now,” McCann said. “I wasn’t able to skate, really, much this summer, unfortunately. But I’m feeling pretty good. Just kind of going to keep at it.”

McCann was spotted chatting with trainers and stretching his leg Friday, and by Sunday the team confirmed he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Fingers crossed he’s good to go by opening night and back to filling the net like he has in his first four seasons in Seattle.

Meanwhile, prospects Lleyton Roed and Nathan Villeneuve both went down with injuries in the last week. Roed left the second prospect showcase game Sunday and is expected to miss two months with an upper-body injury. We spotted him this week with a cast on his left hand.

Villeneuve’s injury is more of a mystery. The team has only said it’s a lower-body injury and out for the remainder of training camp.

It’s a tough break for two players who impressed last camp with outstanding performances in preseason games. Here’s wishing them both a speedy recovery.

Lambert pulling no punches

It must be said: In five years of covering the Kraken, this has been the most intense opening stretch of camp I’ve witnessed. Lambert has emphasized accountability and attention to detail, and so far he’s been extremely vocal—so much so that he lost his voice by Saturday’s media availability.

Lambert doesn’t call it yelling, though. He calls it “encouraging.”

What I appreciate is that he isn’t afraid to blow a drill dead to correct mistakes on the spot.

“If something’s not right, don’t let it go. Stop practice,” Lambert said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, doesn’t matter if you’re a 14-year veteran or a rookie or a junior player in training camp. Everybody wants to learn, everybody can learn. We’ll talk a little bit about development, but it’s not just development of younger players. You can still develop your older players with different concepts, different things you can give them and bring them and help enhance their game.”